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Mark G Hinds

Publications and source records attributed to Mark G Hinds.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Regulation of apoptosis: uncovering the binding determinants.

Eukaryotic cells use complex networks of signal transduction proteins to make decisions about whether to differentiate, grow or die. In the case of apoptosis, which is responsible for the programmed death of unwanted or damaged cells in multicellular organisms, recent structural, biochemical and cell-based assays have enhanced our understanding of the mechanisms by which some of the key proteins regulate this process. These studies have highlighted a critical role for conformational change and the regulated formation of specific complexes that can either inhibit or stimulate apoptosis. In some cases, it is still not clear what distinguishes inhibitory from activating complexes, but the value of a structural understanding is highlighted by the success of recent structure-based drug discovery programs that have targeted these complexes.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Differential targeting of prosurvival Bcl-2 proteins by their BH3-only ligands allows complementary apoptotic function.

Apoptosis is initiated when Bcl-2 and its prosurvival relatives are engaged by proapoptotic BH3-only proteins via interaction of its BH3 domain with a groove on the Bcl-2-like proteins. These interactions have been considered promiscuous, but our analysis of the affinity of eight BH3 peptides for five Bcl-2-like proteins has revealed that the interactions vary over 10,000-fold in affinity, and accordingly, only certain protein pairs associate inside cells. Bim and Puma potently engaged all the prosurvival proteins comparably. Bad, however, bound tightly to Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, and Bcl-w but only weakly to A1 and not to Mcl-1. Strikingly, Noxa bound only Mcl-1 and A1. In accord with their complementary binding, Bad and Noxa cooperated to induce potent killing. The results suggest that apoptosis relies on selective interactions between particular subsets of these proteins and that it should be feasible to discover BH3-mimetic drugs that inactivate specific prosurvival targets.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2004

Solution structure of prosurvival Mcl-1 and characterization of its binding by proapoptotic BH3-only ligands.

The B cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) homologs myeloid cell leukemia-1 (Mcl-1) and A1 are prosurvival factors that selectively bind a subset of proapoptotic Bcl homology (BH) 3-only proteins. To investigate the molecular basis of the selectivity, we determined the solution structure of the C-terminal Bcl-2-like domain of Mcl-1. This domain shares features expected of a prosurvival Bcl-2 protein, having a helical fold centered on a core hydrophobic helix and a surface-exposed hydrophobic groove for binding its cognate partners. A number of residues in the binding groove differentiate Mcl-1 from its homologs, and in contrast to other Bcl-2 homologs, Mcl-1 has a binding groove in a conformation intermediate between the open structures characterized by peptide complexes and the closed state observed in unliganded structures. Mutagenesis of potential binding site residues was used to probe the contributions of groove residues to the binding properties of Mcl-1. Although mutations in Mcl-1 had little impact on binding, a single mutation in the BH3-only ligand Bad enabled it to bind both Mcl-1 and A1 while retaining its binding to Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, and Bcl-w. Elucidating the selective action of certain BH3-only ligands is required for delineating their mode of action and will aid the search for effective BH3-mimetic drugs.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2004

Localization of dynein light chains 1 and 2 and their pro-apoptotic ligands.

The dynein and myosin V motor complexes are multi-protein structures that function to transport molecules and organelles within the cell. DLC (dynein light-chain) proteins, found as components of both dynein and myosin V motor complexes, connect the complexes to their cargoes. One of the roles of these motor complexes is to selectively sequester the pro-apoptotic 'BH3-only' (Bcl-2 homology 3-only) proteins, Bim (Bcl-2-interacting mediator of cell death) and Bmf (Bcl-2-modifying factor), and so regulate their cell death-inducing function. In vivo DLC2 is found exclusively as a component of the myosin V motor complex and Bmf binds DLC2 selectively. On the other hand, Bim interacts with DLC1 (LC8), an integral component of the dynein motor complex. The two DLCs share 93% sequence identity yet show unambiguous in vivo specificity for their respective BH3-only ligands. To investigate this specificity the three-dimensional solution structure of DLC2 was elucidated using NMR spectroscopy. In vitro structural and mutagenesis studies show that Bmf and Bim have identical binding characteristics to recombinant DLC2 or DLC1. Thus the selectivity shown by Bmf and Bim for binding DLC1 or DLC2, respectively, does not reside in their DLC-binding domains. Remarkably, mutational analysis of DLC1 and DLC2 indicates that a single surface residue (residue 41) determines the specific localization of DLCs with their respective motor complexes. These results suggest a molecular mechanism for the specific compartmentalization of DLCs and their pro-apoptotic cargoes and implicate other protein(s) in defining the specificity between the cargoes and the DLC proteins.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗
PubMed2003

Proapoptotic BH3-only proteins trigger membrane integration of prosurvival Bcl-w and neutralize its activity.

Prosurvival Bcl-2-like proteins, like Bcl-w, are thought to function on organelles such as the mitochondrion and to be targeted to them by their hydrophobic COOH-terminal domain. We unexpectedly found, however, that the membrane association of Bcl-w was enhanced during apoptosis. In healthy cells, Bcl-w was loosely attached to the mitochondrial membrane, but it was converted into an integral membrane protein by cytotoxic signals that induce binding of BH3-only proteins, such as Bim, or by the addition of BH3 peptides to lysates. As the structure of Bcl-w has revealed that its COOH-terminal domain occupies the hydrophobic groove where BH3 ligands bind, displacement of that domain by a BH3 ligand would displace the hydrophobic COOH-terminal residues, allowing their insertion into the membrane. To determine whether BH3 ligation is sufficient to induce the enhanced membrane affinity, or to render Bcl-w proapoptotic, we mimicked their complex by tethering the Bim BH3 domain to the NH2 terminus of Bcl-w. The chimera indeed bound avidly to membranes, in a fashion requiring the COOH-terminal domain, but neither promoted nor inhibited apoptosis. These results suggest that ligation of a proapoptotic BH3-only protein alters the conformation of Bcl-w, enhances membrane association, and neutralizes its survival function.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

The structure of Bcl-w reveals a role for the C-terminal residues in modulating biological activity.

Pro-survival Bcl-2-related proteins, critical regulators of apoptosis, contain a hydrophobic groove targeted for binding by the BH3 domain of the pro-apoptotic BH3-only proteins. The solution structure of the pro-survival protein Bcl-w, presented here, reveals that the binding groove is not freely accessible as predicted by previous structures of pro-survival Bcl-2-like molecules. Unexpectedly, the groove appears to be occluded by the C-terminal residues. Binding and kinetic data suggest that the C-terminal residues of Bcl-w and Bcl-x(L) modulate pro-survival activity by regulating ligand access to the groove. Binding of the BH3-only proteins, critical for cell death initiation, is likely to displace the hydrophobic C-terminal region of Bcl-w and Bcl-x(L). Moreover, Bcl-w does not act only by sequestering the BH3-only proteins. There fore, pro-survival Bcl-2-like molecules probably control the activation of downstream effectors by a mechanism that remains to be elucidated.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2003

Structure of the Alzheimer's disease amyloid precursor protein copper binding domain. A regulator of neuronal copper homeostasis.

A major source of free radical production in the brain derives from copper. To prevent metal-mediated oxidative stress, cells have evolved complex metal transport systems. The Alzheimer's disease amyloid precursor protein (APP) is a major regulator of neuronal copper homeostasis. APP knockout mice have elevated copper levels in the cerebral cortex, whereas APP-overexpressing transgenic mice have reduced brain copper levels. Importantly, copper binding to APP can greatly reduce amyloid beta production in vitro. To understand this interaction at the molecular level we solved the structure of the APP copper binding domain (CuBD) and found that it contains a novel copper binding site that favors Cu(I) coordination. The surface location of this site, structural homology of CuBD to copper chaperones, and the role of APP in neuronal copper homeostasis are consistent with the CuBD acting as a neuronal metallotransporter.

Alzheimer Disease↗
PubMed2002

Structure of domain III of the blood-stage malaria vaccine candidate, Plasmodium falciparum apical membrane antigen 1 (AMA1).

Apical membrane antigen 1 of the malarial parasite Plasmodium falciparum (Pf AMA1) is a merozoite antigen that is considered a strong candidate for inclusion in a malaria vaccine. Antibodies reacting with disulphide bond-dependent epitopes in AMA1 block invasion of host erythrocytes by P.falciparum merozoites, and we show here that epitopes involving sites of mutations in domain III are targets of inhibitory human antibodies. The solution structure of AMA1 domain III, a 14kDa protein, has been determined using NMR spectroscopy on uniformly 15N and 13C/15N-labelled samples. The structure has a well-defined disulphide-stabilised core region separated by a disordered loop, and both the N and C-terminal regions of the molecule are unstructured. Within the disulphide-stabilised core, residues 443-447 form a turn of helix and residues 495-498 and 503-506 an anti-parallel beta-sheet with a distorted type I beta-turn centred on residues 500-501, producing a beta-hairpin-type structure. The structured region of the molecule includes all three disulphide bonds. The previously unassigned connectivities for two of these bonds could not be established with certainty from the NMR data and structure calculations, but were determined to be C490-C507 and C492-C509 from an antigenic analysis of mutated forms of this domain expressed using phage display. Naturally occurring mutations in domain III that are located far apart in the primary sequence tend to cluster in the region of the disulphide core in the three-dimensional structure of the molecule. The structure shows that nearly all the polymorphic sites have a high level of solvent accessibility, consistent with their location in epitopes recognised by protective antibodies. Even though domain III in solution contains significant regions of disorder in the structure, the disulphide-stabilised core that is structured is clearly an important element of the antigenic surface of AMA1 recognised by protective antibodies.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2002

Structure of a novel P-superfamily spasmodic conotoxin reveals an inhibitory cystine knot motif.

Conotoxin gm9a, a putative 27-residue polypeptide encoded by Conus gloriamaris, was recently identified as a homologue of the "spasmodic peptide", tx9a, isolated from the venom of the mollusk-hunting cone shell Conus textile (Lirazan, M. B., Hooper, D., Corpuz, G. P., Ramilo, C. A., Bandyopadhyay, P., Cruz, L. J., and Olivera, B. M. (2000) Biochemistry 39, 1583-1588). The C. gloriamaris spasmodic peptide has been synthesized, and the refolded polypeptide was shown to be biologically active using a mouse bioassay. The chemically synthesized gm9a elicited the same symptomatology described previously for natively folded tx9a, and gm9a and tx9a were of similar potency, implying that neither the two gamma-carboxyglutamate (Gla) residues found in tx9a (Ser(8) and Ala(13) in gm9a) nor Gly(1) (Ser(1) in gm9a) are crucial for biological activity. We have determined the three-dimensional structure of gm9a in aqueous solution and demonstrated that the molecule adopts the well known inhibitory cystine knot motif constrained by three disulfide bonds involving Cys(2)-Cys(16), Cys(6)-Cys(18) and Cys(12)-Cys(23). Based on the gm9a structure, the sites of Gla substitution in tx9a are in loops located on one surface of the molecule, which is unlikely to be involved directly in receptor binding. Because this is the first structure reported for a member of the newly defined P-superfamily conotoxins, a comparison has been made with structurally related conotoxins. This shows that the structural scaffold that characterizes the P-conotoxins has the greatest potential for exhibiting structural diversity among the robust inhibitory cystine knot-containing conotoxins, a finding that has implications for functional epitope mimicry and protein engineering.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2002

Solution structure of the eukaryotic pore-forming cytolysin equinatoxin II: implications for pore formation.

Sea anemones produce a family of 18-20 kDa proteins, the actinoporins, that lyse cells by forming pores in cell membranes. Sphingomyelin plays an important role in their lytic activity, with membranes lacking this lipid being largely refractory to these toxins. The structure of the actinoporin equinatoxin II in aqueous solution, determined from NMR data, consists of two short helices packed against opposite faces of a beta-sandwich structure formed by two five-stranded beta-sheets. The protein core has extensive hydrophobic interfaces formed by residues projecting from the internal faces of the two beta-sheets. 15N relaxation data show uniform backbone dynamics, implying that equinatoxin II in solution is relatively rigid, except at the N terminus; its inferred rotational correlation time is consistent with values for monomeric proteins of similar mass. Backbone amide exchange rate data also support the view of a stable structure, even though equinatoxin II lacks disulfide bonds. As monitored by NMR, it unfolds at around 70 degrees C at pH 5.5. At 25 degrees C the structure is stable over the pH range 2.5-7.3 but below pH 2.5 it undergoes a slow transition to an incompletely unfolded structure resembling a molten globule. Equinatoxin II has two significant patches of positive electrostatic potential formed by surface-exposed Lys and Arg residues, which may assist its interaction with charged regions of the lipid head groups. Tyr and Trp residues on the surface may also contribute by interacting with the carbonyl groups of the acyl chains of target membranes. Data from mutational studies and truncated analogues identify two regions of the protein involved in membrane interactions, the N-terminal helix and the Trp-rich region. Once the protein is anchored, the N-terminal helix may penetrate the membrane, with up to four helices lining the pore, although other mechanisms of pore formation cannot be ruled out.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

HtrA--a renaissance protein.

Initially identified as proteases, members of the HtrA/DegP family of proteins have also been shown to act as chaperones in bacteria, and more recently implicated, as regulators of apoptosis in mammals. Two new structures of mammalian HtrA2 and E. coli DegP provide insights into the origin of this plurality of function.

Apoptosis↗
PubMed2001

The solution structure and intramolecular associations of the Tec kinase SRC homology 3 domain.

Tec is the prototypic member of a family of intracellular tyrosine kinases that includes Txk, Bmx, Itk, and Btk. Tec family kinases share similarities in domain structure with Src family kinases, but one of the features that differentiates them is a proline-rich region (PRR) preceding their Src homology (SH) 3 domain. Evidence that the PRR of Itk can bind in an intramolecular fashion to its SH3 domain and the lack of a regulatory tyrosine in the C terminus indicates that Tec kinases must be regulated by a different set of intramolecular interactions to the Src kinases. We have determined the solution structure of the Tec SH3 domain and have investigated interactions with its PRR, which contains two SH3-binding sites. We demonstrate that in vitro, the Tec PRR can bind in an intramolecular fashion to the SH3. However, the affinity is lower than that for dimerization via reciprocal PRR-SH3 association. Using site-directed mutagenesis we show that both sites can bind the Tec SH3 domain; site 1 (155KTLPPAP161) binds intramolecularly, while site 2 (165KRRPPPPIPP174) cannot and binds in an intermolecular fashion. These distinct roles for the SH3 binding sites in Tec family kinases could be important for protein targeting and enzyme activation.

Amino Acid Sequence↗